Rhe Rhe's Eats: Flushing
A day of dumplings in Queens.
Good Shabbos! I hope the first month of 2025 has treated you well. My year has been off to a very strong start in the food category. I was blessed with my first trip to Lucali (lived up to the hype, don’t skip the calzone), and I completed a self-guided food tour of Flushing, a neighborhood in central Queens home to NYC’s biggest Chinatown. Flushing is a prime example of why NYC is so special — located less than 10 miles from my apartment in Williamsburg, you hop off the 7 train into a place that feels entirely different.
My dear friend and famous food and wine connoisseur Lucy Simon put together a Flushing food tour that we loosely followed. We came out of the day stuffed with dumplings and ready to report our findings. My Flushing companions (Clare and Mal) and I put together this more curated list for an afternoon in Flushing, weeding out the stops that weren’t worth it and complete with what to order at each spot and how much the day will cost. The key to success is pacing yourself — only order the dish on the list at each stop and do not eat too much of any one thing. You can also take a break from eating to get an inexpensive body or scalp massage at one of the many Chinese massage establishments.
Flushing
Fu Yuan: pork rice rolls
Shanghai Yu Gardens: Peking duck from the take-out window (not worth it to go inside the restaurant)
Asian Jewel: pork buns (this one is great for the experience of old ladies walking around with dim sum carts, so you could try a few other things they offer)
White Bear: chili wontons
New World Mall Food Court: located in the basement of the mall
Chinese Korean Dumplings and Noodles: pork/shrimp/chive fried dumplings
Liu Liu Sheng Jian: fried pork buns
On Main Street outside the mall, Chan Bai Mei (candied fruit on a stick)
TOTAL: $64
Here are my rankings of the above stops. Clare and Mal also agreed on the first place winner, so don’t skip New World Mall!
Fried pork buns from Liu Liu Sheng Jian
Classic pork buns from Asian Jewel
Peking duck from Shanghai Yu Gardens’ take-out window
Pork/shrimp/chive fried dumplings from Chinese Korean Dumplings and Noodles (the dipping sauce is insane)
Chili wontons from White Bear
Pork rice rolls from Fu Yuan
Fruit stick from Chan Bai Mei
Soup of the Triweekly
I sought to kick off the year by attempting to make chicken tortilla soup for the first time. I followed this NYT Cooking recipe. I enjoyed the soup overall, but would try a different recipe next time — it didn’t rock my world.
I made the broth with chicken and short rib, and my only critique is that I felt the broth was a bit oily. Perhaps I needed to do a better job of skimming the fat off the top while it cooked. The homemade tortilla strips were a fun addition, so don’t skip that step or do store bought. If you’re feeling resourceful, once I was done with the short rib I pulled the meat off the bones and made tacos with the leftover sauce from the adobo chilis, tortillas, Oaxaca cheese, and cilantro.
We’re in peak souping season, so give a new soup recipe a shot. Godspeed!